Ex-Piston Hill Primed For Magic Season

Grant Hill was hooked long before he wore a Magic uniform for the first time.

He watched the Magic play on television last season and was impressed when a cast of no-name players shocked the NBA by winning 41 games and nearly made the playoffs.

The team’s “Heart and Hustle” style was infectious. The five-time All-Star, who spent his first six seasons with the Detroit Pistons, decided he wanted to play in central Florida if he were to move on.

Hill had perhaps his finest season with the Pistons last season, averaging a career-high 25.8 points (third in the NBA), 6.6 rebounds and 6.3 assists. Although he wasn’t necessarily unhappy in Detroit, he sensed it was time for a change.

“When you first come into the league you’re a little naive, a little wet behind the ears, and you have these visions and dreams about remaining in one place,” Hill said. “But free agency has become a mainstay in all sports. There’s a lot of jumping from team to team. Some may argue that’s good and some may argue that’s bad. That’s the way things are now.”

No team was in a better position to pursue Hill than Orlando, which began overhauling its roster after a first-round playoff exit in 1999 and cleared enough room under the salary cap to sign Hill.

“It was definitely tough and not an easy thing to do with the relationships I developed, friendships with teammates, coaches, the organization,” Hill said. “But I just felt this was a great opportunity.”

The Magic also targeted Tim Duncan, but he re-signed with the San Antonio Spurs. Orlando was able to lure Tracy McGrady, another high-profile free agent who grew up less than an hour from Orlando and wanted to play close to home after three seasons with the Toronto Raptors.

Money wasn’t the deciding factor with Hill, who had agreed to take less than he could have earned re-signing with Detroit. But the Magic pushed for him to accept more as part of a sign-and-trade deal after deciding to offer the maximum allowable seven-year, $93 million contract to McGrady, too.

While “Heart and Hustle” will remain the foundation of second-year coach Doc Rivers’ philosophy, the addition of Hill and McGrady gives the team a pair of marquee names to go along with a group of unheralded role players who helped Rivers earn coach of the year honors last season.

“I just want to do whatever is called of me to win,” Hill said. “I went through some periods that we didn’t have the success as a team, and I think those were some humbling periods.

“Going through some tough times, through some adversity, definitely made me stronger, helped build some character and put me in the position where I’m here now.”

For McGrady, there was the added incentive of getting a chance to learn from Hill, one of the game’s best all-around players.

“I was like, ‘If Grant’s coming, I know I’m going to come,’ ” McGrady said. “What other two guys in the league can do the things Grant and I can do on the same team.”

Last season, Hill was impressed by how hard the Magic competed against the Pistons and marveled at their ability to give fits to far-more talented teams. He and his wife, Tamia, scouted the area for houses before he officially became a free agent and decided Orlando was the place for them.

“Seeing how they put aside their egos, and just went out there and did whatever it would take to win--whether it was scoring, or sacrificing points, rebounding, playing good defense--they seemed to be the true essence of a team,” Hill said. “I think of myself as a team guy, and I think Tracy is a team guy as well. Hopefully, we can just strengthen that and continue the things that were established last year.”

Orlando is counting on that--and more.

The Magic lacked a true scorer and now have a pair of go-to players, as well as potentially one of the best defensive teams in the Eastern Conference.

Hill broke a bone in his left ankle late last season and is still recovering from offseason surgery. Four pins and a plate inserted into the ankle will remain there for another year, meaning he will have to play with soreness for most--if not all--of this season.

But he’s confident he’ll be able to help the Magic make the playoffs and re-establish themselves as one of the elite teams in the East. Orlando hasn’t enjoyed that status since Shaquille O’Neal left for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996, a year after O’Neal and Penny Hardaway led Orlando to its only appearance in the NBA Finals.

Hill said his ankle should be 90 to 95 percent healthy and not limit what he can do on the floor.

“There have been some setbacks here and there. I think that’s natural when you have surgery,” he said. “You have good days and bad days, and I think the good days outnumber the bad days.”

But what he doesn’t have is a feel for how many games the Magic can win. With new starters and just six players returning from last season, it might take time for the team to jell.

“The type of people they are, I’m not concerned with them fitting in. I’m more concerned about team chemistry as a whole,” Rivers said. “When you make the changes we have made, that is absolutely a concern.”

Detroit made the playoffs four times with Hill but never advanced beyond the first round. Few teams go from not earning a berth one year to title contender the next, yet that probably won’t stop fans from believing Orlando will be different.

Hill, who helped Duke win two NCAA championships, is ready to do his part.

“I don’t look at it as expectations. I don’t look at it as pressure. I look at it as an opportunity,” Hill said.

“It’s not like we’re here, we’re signed, it’s going to happen overnight. We know we’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of us, a lot of good times and bad times. But ultimately, that’s our goal ... to win a championship before it’s said and done.”